Elevating Oral Health Equity: Voices, Representation, and Action Towards a More Inclusive Future

As a person who grew up in disenfranchised communities, I have witnessed firsthand the impact of health inequities on individuals and families. That is why I’m passionate about health care equity and have dedicated my career to working toward reaching it. Recently, I had the privilege of facilitating dialogues with AHEC scholars and then CLLARO fellows about their experiences with health inequity and what representation means to them. When asked about the conditions that affect their health, students brought up several inequities that keep them from living their best lives, such as lack of insurance, time, cost of care, familiarity with systems, access to transportation, trust in the health care system and providers, immigration status, environmental racism, language access, mental health, access to healthy food, familial responsibilities, and fear of dentists. These factors can all have a significant impact on an individual’s access to care and overall health outcomes.

When we shifted the conversation to representation, the students had a lot to say about what it means to them and why it matters. For some, representation means having a seat at the table and feeling confident in certain spaces because people like them are also present. They want their experiences and perspectives to be acknowledged and included in decision-making processes. Others pointed out that representation matters because they’ve never seen themselves as able to participate or be part of certain spaces. They want to see influential people who look like them and speak their language, paving the way for them.

Investing in health equity is essential to reducing the disparities in access to quality health care. Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation’s workforce initiative is a step toward achieving oral health equity by addressing the root causes of health inequities. By creating a more racially and ethnically diverse oral health workforce, we aim to reduce access to care barriers and increase culturally and socially relevant oral health care. It’s vital to continue these efforts to provide equitable health care access to all individuals and communities, regardless of their backgrounds.

The conversation with these students was incredibly insightful. It’s crucial that we center the voices of those who are directly impacted by health inequities and underrepresentation with continued dialogues that aim to take action to address the systemic issues that perpetuate these inequities.  Representation should not be the final goal, but rather a step toward equity. We should all want to see efforts made to address systemic obstacles that prevent people from certain groups from succeeding..

Passionate Community Partners with Programs and Activities in the Works

• Colorado Oral Health Professional Mentorship Program facilitated by Pickens Technical College will focus on developing a mentorship program for high school-aged and post-secondary students interested in oral health careers, and they will be creating an advisory group to develop pathways into oral health professions by focusing on Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) students.
  • To learn more about this new program or discuss how you can get involved, click here or contact Alyssa Collado.
    
• Key college and career readiness work facilitated by Generation Schools Network will expand their workforce improvement pathways to build an oral health workforce pipeline across the Front Range Equity Network (FREN), I-76 Corridor, and Spanish Peaks and Santa Fe Trail BOCES regions to create a more racially and ethnically diverse oral health workforce, reduce access-to-care barriers, and increase the amount of culturally relevant oral health care that is available to these communities.
  • To learn more about this new grant or discuss additional partners GSN is seeking to support their work, contact Audrey Gutierrez.
    
• The Latin American Educational Foundation (LAEF) is dedicated to expanding and diversifying the oral health career pathways in the San Luis Valley. Through investments in scholarships and fostering relationships with other nonprofit organizations serving the San Luis Valley.
  • Click here to learn more about the Latin American Educational Foundation, the oldest Hispanic and Latino organization in the nation.